The Symptoms

Snow Like Fire

After about 30 minutes of digging through the stash of lenses that we had collected over the years, I finally found a lens suitable for his glasses. I snatched the glasses off of Lucas's face and popped out the cracked lens, putting the new one in and rubbing the smudges from them.

"There, good as new..." I murmured as I fixed his glasses back onto his face. The faint rumble of thunder could be heard outside. Lucas sighed.

"Been a while since we've had thundersnow...I reckon it'll only get worse." He pointed out, his voice being slightly muffled by the mask he was wearing. I nodded in agreement. Things weren't exactly looking great for us, I'm not going to lie. However, I pushed that thought to the back of my head as I contemplated our options. We could just make a quick run for it down the street to get the bandages because it wasn't that far away. Some minor burns weren't going to be that big of a deal, but they would still hurt. But the storm wasn't going to get any better, so this was going to be our only chance to be able to get them.

"Let's take a quick trip." I decide.

"Are you serious? That snow isn't getting any better." He protested. I sighed.

"I know, but that's the reason we have to. We have to take a couple of risks. We have jackets on, so it'll be fine...for the most part. So are you gonna quit whining?"

"Whatever, dormouse," he sighed, rolling his eyes.

"I am not a rodent! Nor am I that small!" I whine, inwardly kicking myself for sounding as childish as he did moments ago.

"And who's whining now?" he asked with a smile, raising his eyebrows slightly to prove his point. I elected to ignore his comment and walked over to the door in a huff. In my heart, I knew that I couldn't get too close to him, otherwise, it would make matters so much worse. I enjoyed our back-and-forth banter, but I needed to remember that he was a Sentinel from the Upper City, and I was worth the scum on the bottom of those people's fancy Oxfords. I unconsciously bit the inside of my lip as I opened the door.

"Ready?" I ask.

"No, but I reckon you're not going to give me much of a choice?"

I nodded and we both sprinted out of the shop. Lucas followed after me as I led him through the streets, the snow burning as it brushed my face, swirling as the wind roared. Soon, I located the familiar wares shop, its shingles were tattered as the cheap paint dyed the snow atop it a bleeding blue. We quickly made our way over and I shoved the door open, both of us practically falling through the door. As soon as we entered, a jovial voice came from behind the counter.

"Welcome in! What can I do ya for?" A man working the register asked. He was slender, tall, and pretty old. He looked almost sick in a way, not quite there. I noticed a white-ish glaze over his right eye, indicating that he was half-blind. Just like I remember him. He seemed to recognize me as he looked up as well.

"Hi, Mr. Ruth.." I murmured. His face lit up.

"Blair! There you are, lass! People have been turning the city upside down lookin' for ya.." His voice had a slight warning edge to it as he clipped off the end of a cigar he pulled from the counter, "Ya have a light?"

I pulled a lighter out of my pocket and tossed it to him casually, "I'm aware...anybody from here would want that reward. But I trust you to not turn me in..you make enough money as it is.."

"That your right missy..." He murmured as he flicked the lighter a couple of times, making it spark to life. Faintly, you could hear the wind howl outside menacingly, yet it was a hollow and empty sound, like being stuck in the middle of nowhere.

"Anyway," I begin, brushing past the fact that I wasn't completely sure if I could trust him or not, "I need regen-wrapping."

He lifted an eyebrow. "Whatever for?"

I sighed as I lifted my shirt partway, revealing the almost soaked-through wrapping that I already had on, giving off a reddish, yellowish hue. Ruth sucked in his breath with a hissing sound as he opened a few cupboards, rummaging through his stock. Moments later he pulled out a small cardboard box labeled 'REGEN-800X,' and tossed it over to me.

"You know my price," he nodded over to the scanner, but I paused, thinking it over.

"Only if you promise to erase my name from your system afterward," I state. He seemed to agree with this and gave a hum of agreement. Quickly, I scanned my wrist over the scanner and it gave a small beep, the screen reading, 'TRANSACTION COMPLETE.'

I nodded and gave my thanks, but as I was about to leave with Lucas, I noticed something that made my heart stop in my chest. The ring on Ruth's finger caught my eye. It was one of a kind, channel-stoned, gold ring with a thick band. But the metalwork that rested in the bezel was what caught my eye. It was a small sculpting of a poppy flower, triggering a certain memory in my mind.

Isn't this what Emma described? A poppy ring?

I certainly had never seen anything like it before. Lucas tapped on my shoulder to get my attention, signaling that we should get a move on before the snow got worse. But, I stood my ground.

"Mr. Ruth, if you don't mind me asking, where did you get that ring?" I questioned. He seemed a little taken aback.

"Oh, this ol' thing? Had it for a while, it was a gift of sorts." He explained, he gazed nonchalantly at the far corner of the room.

"It's quite the rare artifact...one of a kind. Nobody would give that to you for free unless they had a really good reason," I said under my breath, but just loud enough for him to hear. Lucas seemed to realize what was going on as his gaze glued onto the ring. I seemed to feel his anger rising as his hands clenched tightly, whitening his knuckles. While Ruth searched for his response, I stepped on Lucas's foot forcefully, signaling for him to stay calm and keep his fucking mouth shut. He yanked his shoe back and shot me a glare, gingerly putting his foot back on the ground. Though he seemed to understand my thoughts.

"Let's just say...I earned it," Ruth replied. Earned it? What does that even mean?

"You know something, I know you do, you sneaky bastard." I snarled, fed up with him dodging my questions.

"Whoa, nice words missy, wouldn't want you to get hurt..." His tone held a silent threat to it, but I didn't understand what he was implying. He was at a physical disadvantage in all scenarios, but something about the edge in his voice made alarms go off in my head.

"Have you been in the Upper City these past few weeks?" I pried.

"If I was, I wouldn't tell you."

That answer alone told me all that I needed to know. However, imagining an old man climbing a window and attacking a girl gave me doubt.

"Did you attack Emma?" I ask, cautiously. He didn't hesitate to answer.

"That little red-headed lass? Yeah. Don't tell me she's still alive?" He responded with a dark and teasing tone. That was Lucas's last straw, as he slammed his hands onto the desk forcefully, sending papers flying.

"I'm gonna kill you!" Lucas growled.

"No actually, I'm afraid it's the opposite. I'm about to kill you," His eyes glinted murderously, "You really shouldn't get into other people's business...it can get you into trouble."